You don’t have to be a religious person to be moved by Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrows. The route through the alleyways of Old Jerusalem is said to mark the path taken by Jesus Christ from where he was tried and collected his cross, to the spot on Calvary hill where he was executed and buried.

The Lion Gate, near the start of Via Dolorosa

From what I’ve read, today’s Via Dolorosa is more symbolic than factual. The ‘official’ route through the Old City has varied significantly over the last 2000 years. As such, the physical locations of many of the individual Stations of the Cross along the current way have no historical connection to the events they represent. In fact, historians say that at least some of the events took place in a completely different part of the city.

But that hardly seems the point at this stage. Each year thousands of people walk the Via Dolorosa, believers and non-believers alike.

The Monastery of the Flagellation: Stations 1 & 2, representing where Jesus was tried, given his cross and presented to the crowd by Pontius Pilate (historians now believe Christ was actually tried in Herod’s Palace on the opposite side of the Old City)

All that is still visible of the triple-arched Ecce Homo Arch, where Pilate said “Behold the Man” (Station 2)

Station 3, representing where Jesus fell for the first time

The upper storeys of some of the buildings between Stations 3 & 4

Station 4 represents where Jesus met his mother, Mary:Note the carvings depicting the events of Stations 3 (left) and 4 (above the doorway on the right)

And if that’s not enough for you, the first Jaspa’s Journey adventure, The Great Migration, is now available in both paperback and ebook formats from Amazon and other online booksellers! The first two sequels are scheduled to be released by Speaking Volumes later this year.